Gaming systems for noise suppression and selective sound amplification

ABSTRACT

A gaming system includes a central server linked to gaming zones each defined by a group of user stations. The server identifies exception sound signatures with respect to each of the plurality of zones, and disables local suppression of ambient sounds associated with the exception sound signatures. The stations each include a gaming terminal, and sound receiving and emitting devices. The stations sample ambient sounds and generate representative audio data. The stations collectively compile audio data representative of zone-specific ambient sounds, and individually emit sound waves effective to locally suppress ambient sounds for which local suppression is not disabled. The stations extract user station-specific sound signatures from a combination of the local audio data and the zone-specific audio data, and locally amplify sounds associated with the extracted user station-specific sound signatures.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/834,342, filed Mar. 15, 2013.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialthat is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the reproduction of the patent document or the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office patentfile or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to noise suppression methods forgaming systems.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a local network ofgaming systems that interact for the purpose of dynamic external noisesuppression for the benefit of users of individual gaming machines.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with various embodiments of a gaming system as disclosedherein, sound cancellation is incorporated into the headrest of apatron's seat or elevated rear speakers to block noise from reachingtheir ears.

In one aspect of a gaming system as described herein, 3D sound isprojected from the gaming machine to the patron to maximize theirenjoyment of the game. This could be either produced inside the machineas a sound wave reaching out to the patron or pushed wirelessly to theseat/head rest/rear speakers/headphones and projected to the patron ontop of the noise cancellation wave(s).

In another aspect, using the network, each gaming machine can reportback to machines near it the sounds it deems correct for its sphere ofinfluence and then be able to have the other machines cancel that soundout of their sphere of influence. Each machine would deduct the sound(s)from its neighbors effectively canceling out extraneous noise from othergaming machines.

In another aspect, all machines could indicate what they considerbackground noise and eliminate it.

These aspects can address one of the biggest issues with soundcancellation, which is the determination of what is noise and what isvaluable data.

In a particular embodiment of a gaming system as described herein, agaming system includes a central server linked to gaming zones eachdefined by one or more user stations. The stations each include a gamingterminal, and sound receiving and emitting devices. The user stationssample ambient sounds, generate representative audio data, and receiveaudio data representative of zone-specific ambient sounds. The stationsfurther direct the respective sound emitting devices to emit sound wavesfor locally suppressing ambient sounds for which local suppression isnot disabled. The stations extract user station-specific soundsignatures from a combination of the local audio data and the receivedaudio data, and direct the sound emitting devices to locally amplifysounds associated with the extracted user station-specific soundsignatures.

In an aspect of the above-referenced embodiment, the received audio datamay further include one or more exception sound signatures for therespective user station. Each of the user stations may then disablelocal noise suppression of external sounds associated with the exceptionsound signatures.

In another aspect of the above-referenced embodiment, each of the userstations may locally amplify the external sounds associated with theexception sound signatures.

In yet another aspect of the above-referenced embodiment, each of theuser stations may identify external sounds from the received audio dataas persistent external sounds or temporary external sounds, furtherautomatically directing the emission of sound waves to locally suppressthe persistent external sounds.

In another aspect, the persistent external sounds may be periodicallyidentified based on criteria comprising one or more of a date, time ofday and location in a gaming area.

In yet another aspect of the above-referenced embodiment, the server maydirect particular exception sound signatures for each of the one or moreuser stations associated with individual zones.

In still another aspect of the above-referenced embodiment, the servermay direct user stations in a particular zone to further direct theemission of sound waves effective to locally suppress external soundsassociated with user stations outside of the respective zone.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an exemplary embodiment of agaming system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing another exemplary embodiment of agaming system according to the present invention, the system defining aplurality of gaming zones.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart representing an exemplary method of operationaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart representing an exemplary method of operationaccording to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram representing various exemplary identifiable soundsignatures with respect to a user station in an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a graphical diagram representing an exemplary noisesuppression waveform produced in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 is a graphical diagram representing an exemplary user interfacein accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-7, various embodiments of a gaming systemand method according to the present invention may now be described.Where the various figures may describe embodiments sharing variouscommon elements and features with other embodiments, similar elementsand features are given the same reference numerals and redundantdescription thereof may be omitted below.

Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take atleast the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the contextdictates otherwise. The meanings identified below do not necessarilylimit the terms, but merely provide illustrative examples for the terms.The meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” may include plural references, andthe meaning of “in” may include “in” and “on.” The phrase “in oneembodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the sameembodiment, although it may.

Terms such as “providing,” “processing,” “supplying,” “determining,”“calculating” or the like may refer at least to an action of a computersystem, computer program, signal processor, logic or alternative analogor digital electronic device that may be transformative of signalsrepresented as physical quantities, whether automatically or manuallyinitiated.

Depending on the embodiment, certain acts, events, or functions of anyof the algorithms described herein can be performed in a differentsequence, can be added, merged, or left out all together (e.g., not alldescribed acts or events are necessary for the practice of thealgorithm). Moreover, in certain embodiments, acts or events can beperformed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing,interrupt processing, or multiple processors or processor cores or onother parallel architectures, rather than sequentially.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and algorithm stepsdescribed in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, and stepshave been described above generally in terms of their functionality.Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or softwaredepends upon the particular application and design constraints imposedon the overall system. The described functionality can be implemented invarying ways for each particular application, but such implementationdecisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from thescope of the disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks and modules described inconnection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented orperformed by a machine, such as a general purpose processor, a digitalsignal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmablelogic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functionsdescribed herein. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor,but in the alternative, the processor can be a controller,microcontroller, or state machine, combinations of the same, or thelike. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computingdevices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a pluralityof microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with aDSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method, process, or algorithm described in connectionwith the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly inhardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in acombination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of non-transitorycomputer-readable medium known in the art. An exemplarycomputer-readable medium can be coupled to the processor such that theprocessor can read information from, and write information to, thememory/storage medium. In the alternative, the medium can be integral tothe processor. The processor and the medium can reside in an ASIC. TheASIC can reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processorand the medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

Conditional language used herein, such as, among others, “can,” “might,”“may,” “e.g.,” and the like, unless specifically stated otherwise, orotherwise understood within the context as used, is generally intendedto convey that certain embodiments include, while other embodiments donot include, certain features, elements and/or states. Thus, suchconditional language is not generally intended to imply that features,elements and/or states are in any way required for one or moreembodiments or that one or more embodiments necessarily include logicfor deciding, with or without author input or prompting, whether thesefeatures, elements and/or states are included or are to be performed inany particular embodiment.

Referring first to an embodiment as represented in FIG. 1, an exemplarygaming system 10 includes a central server 32 and a plurality of gamingstations 12 for one or more users. The server 32 and user stations 12may be coupled to each other via a communications network 30. The system10 may be provided for fixed gaming stations in a defined gaming areasuch as, for example, a casino floor, but may further be provided forany mobile or fixed gaming stations in undefined or lesser-definedareas, including but not limited to coffee shops, airports, or whereverelse the user may be connected to the server 32 and/or other userstations 12 via a communications network 30.

The term “communications network” 30 as used herein may typically referto a wired or wireless local area network (LAN), but may within thescope of the present invention incorporate wide area networks (WAN) orother telecommunications implemented communications networks andassociated media including for example the Internet for the purposes ofat least data transmission and reception. The communications network 30may include or otherwise interact with network devices, connectors, andother hardware and/or software components 22 associated with individualcomputing devices 12, 32 on either end of the network 30.

The user stations 12 may include a gaming terminal 14 having a userinterface 16, a processing unit 18, one or more computer-readable media20, and any components 22 as needed for appropriate interaction with thecommunications network 30. As referenced above, the user stations 12 maybe fixed in location with respect to for example a casino floor, but mayalternatively be mobile in nature such as for example where implementedvia a mobile computing device having appropriate structure toincorporate and implement components and features described herein.

Sound receiving devices 26 such as for example an array of microphonesand associated circuitry may be positioned with respect to each userstation 12 and functionally linked to the corresponding processing unit18.

Sound emitting devices 24 are further positioned with respect to eachuser station 12 and functionally linked to the corresponding processingunit 18. In various embodiments, the sound emitting devices 24 areconfigured for projecting sound waves as noise cancellation waves thatare further effective to cancel out certain sounds. Sound cancellationmay be incorporated into for example the headrest of a patron's seat orelevated rear speakers to block noise from reaching their ears.Three-dimensional (3D) sound may further be projected by the userstation 12 to the patron 28 to maximize their enjoyment of the game, andmay be produced via a device 24 inside the machine 14 as a sound wavereaching out to the patron 28 or pushed wirelessly to static speakers 24associated with the user station such as, for example, the seat/headrest/rear speakers 24 a, 24 b and projected to the patron 28 on top ofthe noise cancellation wave(s). Alternatively, for either static ormobile applications the sound wave may be provided via Bluetooth or anequivalent wireless communication technology to a wireless user headsetpaired with a gaming application.

An exemplary central server 32 as represented in FIG. 1 may include aprocessing unit 18, computer-readable media 20, and any components 22 asneeded for appropriate interaction with the communications network 30.The server 32 may further include or otherwise be functionally linked toone or more databases 34, data repositories or equivalent data storagemedia, wherein data associated with the various user stations, zonesand/or the various users themselves may be stored and subsequentlyretrieved. User profiles may be maintained wherein user preferences arestored in the server 32 and applicable by the system in accordance withvarious user stations, locations, times, etc., as further describedbelow. Exemplary databases 34 or other dedicated storage media withinthe scope of the invention may include without limitation transactionaldatabases or data files wherein raw data may be stored, informationaldatabases (e.g., data warehouses) for aggregation and analysis of rawdata by downstream analytics or business intelligence program engines,some combination thereof as may be understood by those of skill in theart, and any associated program engines as needed to extract, transformand load raw data into an informational or business intelligence-relatedformat.

Referring next to FIG. 2, a system 10 substantially as described abovewith respect to FIG. 1 may in various embodiments of the presentinvention further be expanded in scope to define a plurality of zones36, each zone including one or more user stations 12. In an exemplaryembodiment, the zones may define portions of a single gaming area suchas a casino floor. In other embodiments, the zones may eachindependently represent alternative locations such as for example cafes,train stations, airports, or any other place where mobile gamingapplications may be executed by a user, and some or all of which mayfurther have default profiles containing ambient sounds associated withthe respective location or type of location. For example, as a defaultmeasure it may be assumed that an airport provides certain common soundsthat can be programmed for identification and suppression when a usergaming terminal is active therein, while for example a coffee shop maybe expected to have a somewhat different default profile of commonambient sounds.

Each station 12 is still coupled to the server 32 via the communicationsnetwork 30, and may otherwise be substantially identical inconfiguration with respect to the relatively more detailed descriptionabove. As represented in FIG. 2, the devices only communicate with thecentral server, but in certain embodiments, it may be desirable for eachstation 12 in a particular zone 36 to communicate with other stations 12in the same zone. In other embodiments, the stations 12 may allcommunicate with each other, but with a corresponding zone beingincluded as a parameter in a data string whereby each station 12 mayappropriately identify the source zone for each other station 12.

The server 32 may effectively serve as a “master” to thereby coordinatenoise cancellation, specific exceptions and the like among the variouszones and their associated user stations in accordance with features andsupporting program modules and algorithms as may be described furtherbelow. In certain embodiments, the various user stations 12 maythemselves have the ability to interact directly with each other togenerate and execute many of the same sound analysis and noisecancellation steps, unless for example overruled or otherwise disabledby commands from the central server.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an exemplary embodiment of a dynamic noisecancellation process may now be described as it may pertain to anindividual user station according to the present invention. The stepsrecited herein are intended as exemplary only, and not as limiting onthe scope of the present invention unless otherwise explicitly stated.The steps may further be performed in any order unless otherwiseexplicitly stated or as logically dictated.

When a gaming station starts up, it typically may first sample ambientsounds with respect to that particular station (S31). As describedabove, the sample is typically obtained via sound receiving devices suchas for example microphones, transducers or the like, and preferably anarray of such devices for greater accuracy. The array of devices may beconfigured and arranged such that the sampled ambient noise pertains notonly to the sounds projected by the particular gaming machine but alsoambient noise received from external areas. A local audio file may thenbe generated by the processing unit in the gaming station, whichincludes data that may therefore be representative of the ambient soundsand to some extent any local directional impact from external soundswith respect to the gaming station. In other words, when the local audiofile is analyzed in conjunction with audio files from adjacent gamingstations, a particular source of noise may be identified and accordinglycompensated for in subsequent steps. Further, each gaming station may beprogrammed to be sensitive to frequencies associated with human speechgenerally, wherein analysis of the various audio files may allow foridentification and either suppression or amplification of human speech.

In certain embodiments, the gaming station may be effective todistinguish between the signatures of various sources within the rangeof frequencies associated with human speech, wherein for examplespeakers substantially within a certain radius about the gaming stationmay be amplified and sounds from speakers outside of the station aresuppressed. In certain embodiments, the user may be enabled to selectand suppress individual signatures that may be directionally identifiedand therefore distinguished from other signatures in the combinedwaveform. For example, where a particular speaker produces sounds of aparticular frequency, the sounds may be positively identified viatriangulation and synthesis of a plurality of local audio files andautomatically suppressed by the gaming station as a default measure oras desired in accordance with user preferences.

Having generated a local audio file, the gaming station may nexttransmit the audio file to its neighboring devices and a central server(S32). In various embodiments, the generation and transmission ofrepresentative audio files as described above may be conductedperiodically, but alternatively it may be contemplated that ambientsounds may be sampled and transmitted upon request as needed. The servermay then store the audio file in association with the particular gamingstation for analysis and generation of a zone baseline audio file forthat same station.

In other embodiments the central server may be configured for example tocontinuously sample sounds with respect to each gaming station. Suchcontinuous feedback may facilitate more sophisticated control techniquessuch as for example compensation for very temporary noise sources insubstantially real-time, or on a longer-term basis such feedback maybetter allow for intelligent analysis by machine learning engines andalgorithms as may be implemented in various ways which are known in theart.

Having transmitted a local baseline audio file, the gaming station nextreceives audio files from either or both of the neighboring stations andthe central server (S33). In certain embodiments, the stationsthemselves may include program modules effective to analyze the localaudio files from neighboring stations and generate their own zonebaseline waveform that substantially identifies noise in the form ofsound signatures not associated with the sampled sounds for thatparticular station, without the assistance of a master audio file withwaveforms from the central server.

In embodiments as further described herein, however, the stations alsoreceive data from the central server. In one exemplary embodiment, theindividual stations generate their own audio waveforms for soundcancellation based on ambient sounds from the surrounding machines,while the central server provides commands that may, for example,include user-defined sound cancellation preferences or that may overridesound cancellation of particular signatures (exceptions) as may bedescribed further below. In another embodiment, the surrounding machinesmay only be made available for broadcasting of ambient audio files inthe event of server communication failures or some equivalent, whereinthe baseline audio file itself is typically generated by and receivedfrom the central server, as further described below (see FIG. 4 andsteps S41-46).

In various embodiments, the gaming station further includes a graphicaluser interface on a gaming terminal or other equivalent devices forenabling a user to select general sound preferences or location-basedprofiles (S34). The gaming station may generate a list of selectablesounds for suppression or amplification, each of the sounds pertainingto a specific identifiable and actionable sound signature, or a range ofsounds for example within a specific and actionable frequency. The usermay be enabled to select sounds emitted from the gaming machine itselfto be made louder, while simultaneously selecting sounds received fromsurrounding gaming machines to be suppressed. The user may further beenabled to select from any number of other sounds to be suppressed, aslong as those sounds can reasonably be isolated and acted upon by thenoise suppression functionality of the gaming station. Examples mayinclude fans, mechanical meters, air conditioning units, general humanconversation, or as implied above even specific individuals orconversations that may be closer, louder or otherwise separatelyidentifiable with respect to the collective ambient conversation level.Outside of the context of casino floors as the gaming area, otheridentifiable sounds may be apparent such as for example the arrival ordeparture of airplanes in an airport, the clattering of dishes andglasses in a coffee shop, etc.

One exemplary such user interface 70 may be as represented in FIG. 7,including a number of independent noise suppression and/or amplificationoptions 72 such as music 72 a, human speech 72 b and game-specificsounds (i.e., slot reels) 72 c. A setting for each option 72 may beselectable by manipulating for example a slider button 74 where theinterface is coupled to a pointing device such as a touch screen ormouse, or in alternative embodiments by providing a data entry box or anequivalent enabling the user to enter a number along an appropriatescale with respect to maximum and minimum noise cancellation settings.The interface 70 may further provide buttons enabling the user to save76 the current state of user preferences to the gaming station and/orserver, or to cancel 78 the current state of user preferences.

As but one alternative or additional feature, the gaming station mayenable users to select from predefined profiles that are presented basedon their current location, or perhaps via a sorting algorithm thatpresents profiles in order of most common usage, etc. The profiles maybe associated with default noise suppression settings for thatparticular location (e.g., profiles generally associated with casinos,coffee shops, airplanes, etc.), previously established user preferencesassociated with that particular location, or an application of universaldefault user preferences to default settings for that location. The usermay be enabled to selectably combine a universal personal preferenceprofile with characteristics specific to a given location and have noisesuppression settings generated automatically in accordance therewith.

The user may in various embodiments be presented with a defaultselection for that particular location and enabled by the gaming stationto confirm or modify one or more preferences at that time. The gamingstation may locally store the user selection data for extraction andimplementation by internal noise suppression program module. Preferably,in cases where the user has a loyalty account that has been previouslyidentified by the gaming station in association with the current usersession, the gaming station may further upload the user selection datato the central server for remote storage in association with a digitaluser profile saved in the user account. Thereby, the server mayautomatically retrieve the user preferences and implement or otherwiseidentify and visually present the same user preferences for userconfirmation at a later time when the same user begins a new session atthe same location. The server may further collect user preferences fromeach user with respect to a given user station, zone or location, andapply advanced machine learning algorithms to further adapt the defaultnoise suppression settings for the station, zone or location over time.

The gaming station may then generate an audio output in the form ofsound waves that are configured to suppress or cancel background noiseor other user-selected noise (S35) while simultaneously amplifying userstation-specific sounds. In various embodiments, the gaming station mayautomatically generate cancellation tones for any sounds that areclearly identifiable as external background noise with respect to thesounds projected from the machine, or other ambient sounds as they maybe provided by, for example, the user and are not selected specificallyfor noise suppression. Certain of these cancellation tones may in somecases be overridden by user selection, or alternatively may beautomatically applied and not even presented for user selection, such asfor example a persistent background noise. An exemplary noisecancellation waveform is represented in FIG. 6, primarily addressingbackground noise in the form of standard human voice frequencies betweenabout 80 Hz and about 3 kHz and of varying amplitude. Where sounds to besuppressed are too complex and/or numerous to be isolated, thecancellation tones may be generated based on an average or referencefrequency within the frequency band, and 180° out of phase with respectto the reference frequency.

In determining which sounds to isolate and amplify, the gaming stationmay compare the received zone baseline waveforms to the locallygenerated baseline waveforms and extract any user-specific or gamingstation-specific sound signatures identifiable as such (S36). Thesewaveform(s) may then be amplified in the final product in the form ofsound waves emitted from the gaming station and to the user, to betterproject only the desired sounds as opposed to any underlying noise(S37).

Referring now to FIG. 4, an additional and exemplary method may now bedescribed that is typically performed by the central server in parallelwith the method described above, particularly between steps S32 and S33.The server process begins upon receiving and storing local audio filesfrom gaming stations (S41). For the purposes of the description herein,the steps will be described as they pertain to a particular gamingstation, but the same method may typically be performed substantiallyidentically for each of the gaming stations at specific times, or may besequentially performed for each of the gaming stations over time, or maybe individually performed for gaming stations upon request, or startup,or at predetermined and periodic times.

The server may consider a number of parameters specific to the gamingstation or other external conditions in determining a zone baselineaudio waveform for that station. For example, the server may preferablytailor the baseline audio waveform in view of the date, time of day,and/or the location of the gaming machine relative the gaming area as awhole (S42). Ambient sounds on a casino floor may be reliably consideredto vary somewhat, if not dramatically, with respect to, e.g., a Fridaynight as opposed to a Wednesday morning, or on 8 p.m. on New Year's Eveas opposed to 2 p.m. in the middle of October. Further, a gaming machinethat is adjacent a primary entry/exit, and/or along primary walkwaysthrough the gaming floor, would reliably encounter more ambient soundthan a relatively isolated machine. The server may also analyze thewaveforms based on time to determine the delta between one hour and thenext. Implementation of the delta could lead to a gradual dampening ofthe outside noise as opposed to an abrupt change. For example, it may beknown in a particular instance that at 2:00 the fans in a location areenabled, and therefore prior to 2:00 the gaming machine startsintroducing a fan cancellation tone which may be fully effectual once2:00 is reached. The gaming machine may then further begin tapering therespective noise cancellation tone at 3:00 when it is known that the fanis or will imminently be stopping.

As described above, groups of gaming stations may collectively define“zones” that may be used by the server for this purpose as well (S43).For example, some zones may include gaming machines for which users aregenerally unlikely to converse with each other, but alternatively somezones may include machines that typically prompt some interaction amongpatrons and noise suppression might in these cases be more undesirable.

It may be desirable for the server to selectively allow announcementsrelating to a type of gaming machine to be provided for patrons only inthat specific zone, such as for example in tournament applications.

It may further be desirable for the server to exclude (or allow for theexclusion of) typical sounds as are emitted by other gaming machines,but to allow (or deny the exclusion of) sounds related to “jackpots” orother equivalent incidents that may lend themselves to an overall auraof excitement. More dynamically, the server may be configured toidentify “hot spots” on a gaming floor at any particular time and togenerate baseline audio waveforms that exclude sounds generated fromthese “hot spots” from noise suppression by surrounding gaming stations.In this way, gaming stations may further be contacted in substantiallyreal-time by the server with updates for application by their noisesuppression program module to account for exciting developments in thecasino at a given time. If the server analyzes the waveforms based ontime to determine the delta between one hour and the next, as describedabove, the common noise threshold may be determined for any given timewherein it is possible to ascertain that an increase in a certainfrequency was desirable and not the norm, and therefore should not becanceled.

Such analysis may be psychologically driven and may vary dramaticallybased on the gaming environment generally, the type of gaming machines,the clientele, etc., but generally stated this dynamic serverfunctionality may be developed over time to optimize patron trafficpatterns as well as an overall gaming environment.

It may even further be desirable to define zone-specific exceptions withrespect to sounds projected from gaming stations inside of the zone, butto generate the zone baseline waveform presenting sounds projected fromgaming stations outside of the zone for noise suppression. Again, thismay for example be desirable for tournament applications, or specificarrays of gaming machines playing a collective-style game such as pokereven outside of tournament applications.

Generally speaking, there may be certain exceptions that are defined bythe server that extend to all zones, such as for example emergencyannouncements and/or alarms related to the entire gaming area. Theserver may therefore exclude such sound signatures or otherwise generatecommands for inclusion in the audio file transmitted to the gamingmachines to ensure implementation and to further deny their selectionfor exclusion by their respective users.

The server may receive in addition to or as included within the localaudio file a user loyalty account number for a user of the gamingstation. The server may subsequently extract any stored and relevanthistorical user preferences from an associated user profile (S44), andgenerate a baseline audio waveform for that gaming machine including orotherwise accounting for these preferences, any zone-specificexceptions, environmental parameters, etc. (S45). The baseline audiowaveform and any associated commands or identifiers may then betransmitted to the respective gaming station for analysis andimplementation (S46).

Rather than accounting for user preferences within the baseline audiowaveform, the server may otherwise present the user preferences to thegaming machine for display to and confirmation by the patron, whereinthe gaming machine may separately apply noise suppression uponconfirmation of the relevant preferences.

Referring now to FIG. 5, various exemplary types of ambient sound 50 arepresented as may optimally be identifiable and actionable by noisesuppression and amplification program modules of a gaming station inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention. It may beunderstood that among the more difficult tasks for effectiveimplementation of the present invention is proper identification anddifferentiation of noise (for suppression) with respect to desiredsounds (for amplification).

External sounds that are received by the sound receiving devices (e.g.,microphone array) may include static sounds (e.g., fans) 50 a anddynamic sounds 50 b, 50 b. Dynamic sounds may be broken down withrespect to external “baseline” sounds 50 b such as those that aresomewhat continuously generated by surrounding machines, and external“contextual” sounds 50 c such as those that are dependent on useractivity. In various embodiments, the system may enable users to selectsound signatures associated with each of these types 50 a, 50 b, 50 cfor noise suppression, or alternatively the system may automaticallysuppress a range of sound including 50 a and 50 b, while enabling theuser to select from among a list of individual sound signatures whichfall within the scope of 50 c.

Locally-generated sounds that are received by the sound receivingdevices may include local “baseline” sounds 50 d such as for examplethose that are somewhat continuously generated by the respectivemachine, and local user-specific or session-specific sounds 50 e such asfor example those that are generated by a particular user or only inconjunction with execution of a particular game being played by thatuser. In some embodiments, the system may automatically seek to amplifysounds 50 e while enabling users to potentially select and suppress oneor more sounds 50 d that are projected by the machine but notnecessarily specific to the game being played, such as for example wherethe gaming station is part of a zone of machines that collectively playa certain music regardless of specific user activity.

Additional sounds that are externally generated but separately treatedinclude selectable exceptions 50 f and non-selectable exceptions 50 g.Selectable exceptions may include for example announcements that may beidentified by an administrator as appropriate for one or more zones ofgaming stations but not for the remainder of a gaming area. Therefore,such sounds may appropriately be identified in accordance with sounds 50c for certain gaming stations, but otherwise identified in accordancewith sounds 50 g for others. The non-selectable exceptions 50 g arethose such as emergency announcements or alarms that are not selectablefor noise suppression, and must generally be projected, if not evenamplified, by each gaming station as needed.

The previous detailed description has been provided for the purposes ofillustration and description. Thus, although there have been describedparticular embodiments of the present invention of a new and useful“Gaming System and Method For Dynamic Noise Suppression,” it is notintended that such references be construed as limitations upon the scopeof this invention except as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gaming system comprising: a user stationfurther comprising a computing device operatively coupled to a gamingterminal, a sound receiving device, and one or more sound emittingdevices; the computing device further comprising a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having program instructions residing thereon,the program instructions executable by a processor to direct theperformance of: sampling ambient sounds with respect to the user stationvia the sound receiving device, generating a local audio filerepresentative of the ambient sounds, receiving one or more audio filesrepresentative of sounds external to the user station via an externalcommunications network, identifying one or more exception soundsignatures with respect to the user station, disabling local suppressionof sounds associated with the exception sound signatures, directing oneor more of the sound emitting devices to emit sound waves effective tolocally suppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppressionis not disabled, and directing one or more of the sound emitting devicesto emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated withthe one or more received audio files.
 2. The system of claim 1, whereinthe user station comprises a first user station, and wherein the programinstructions are further executable to direct the performance of:transmitting the local audio file to one or more user stations coupledto the first user station via the external communications network. 3.The system of claim 1, the program instructions further executable bythe processor to direct the performance of: locally amplifying thesounds associated with the exception sound signatures.
 4. The system ofclaim 1, the program instructions executable by the processor to furtherdirect the performance of: identifying external sounds from the one ormore received audio files as persistent external sounds or temporaryexternal sounds, and automatically directing the emission of sound wavesto locally suppress the persistent external sounds.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the persistent external sounds are periodicallyidentified based on one or more criteria from a group comprising a date,a time of day and a location of the user station in a gaming area. 6.The system of claim 5, wherein the external sounds are compared to anambient noise threshold with respect to the one or more criteria.
 7. Thesystem of claim 5, wherein the user station selectively modifies theemission of sound waves locally by: extracting one or more userstation-specific sound signatures from one or more of the received audiofiles, and directing one or more of the sound emitting devices to emitsound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated withextracted session-specific sound signatures.
 8. A gaming systemcomprising: a plurality of user stations defining a gaming zone, each ofthe user stations further comprising a computing device operativelycoupled to a gaming terminal, a sound receiving device, and one or moresound emitting devices; each of the computing devices further comprisinga non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructionsresiding thereon, the program instructions executable by a processor todirect the performance of: sampling ambient sounds with respect to therespective user station via the sound receiving device, generating localaudio data representative of the ambient sounds and transmitting thelocal audio data to one or more of the other user stations in said zonevia a communications network, receiving audio data representative ofzone-specific sounds, identifying one or more exception sound signatureswith respect to the zone, disabling local suppression of soundsassociated with the exception sound signatures, directing one or more ofthe sound emitting devices to emit sound waves effective to locallysuppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppression is notdisabled, and directing one or more of the sound emitting devices toemit sound waves effective to locally amplify one or more soundsassociated with the received audio data.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein for each of the user stations, the program instructions arefurther executable to direct the performance of: locally amplifying thesounds associated with the exception sound signatures.
 10. The system ofclaim 8, wherein for each of the user stations, the program instructionsare further executable to direct the performance of: identifyingexternal sounds from the received audio data as persistent externalsounds or temporary external sounds, and automatically directing theemission of sound waves to locally suppress the persistent externalsounds.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the persistent externalsounds are periodically identified based on one or more criteria from agroup comprising a date, a time of day and a location of the respectiveuser station in a gaming area.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein theexternal sounds are compared to an ambient noise threshold with respectto the one or more criteria.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein foreach of the user stations, the program instructions are furtherexecutable to direct the performance of: extracting one or more userstation-specific sound signatures from the received audio data, anddirecting one or more of the sound emitting devices to emit sound waveseffective to locally amplify sounds associated with extractedsession-specific sound signatures.
 14. A gaming system comprising: acentral server linked to each of a plurality of user stations via acommunications network, a plurality of gaming zones each defined ascomprising one or more of said user stations, the central server furthercomprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having programinstructions residing thereon, the program instruction executable by aprocessor to direct the performance of: identifying one or moreexception sound signatures with respect to each of the plurality ofzones, and disabling local suppression of sounds associated with theexception sound signatures; each of the user stations further comprisinga computing device operatively coupled to a gaming terminal, a soundreceiving device, and one or more sound emitting devices; each of thecomputing devices further comprising a non-transitory computer-readablemedium having processor-executable program instructions residingthereon, the program instructions executable to direct the performanceof: sampling ambient sounds with respect to the respective user stationvia the sound receiving device, generating local audio datarepresentative of the ambient sounds and transmitting the local audiodata to the central server via the communications network, receivingaudio data representative of zone-specific sounds, directing one or moreof the sound emitting devices to emit sound waves effective to locallysuppress one or more ambient sounds for which local suppression is notdisabled, and directing one or more of the sound emitting devices toemit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated with thereceived audio data.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein for each of theuser stations, the program instructions are executable to direct theperformance of: locally amplifying the external sounds associated withthe exception sound signatures.
 16. The system of claim 14, wherein foreach of the user stations, the program instructions are executable todirect the performance of: identifying external sounds from the receivedaudio data as persistent external sounds or temporary external sounds,and automatically directing the emission of sound waves to locallysuppress the persistent external sounds.
 17. The system of claim 16,wherein the persistent external sounds are periodically identified basedon a comparison of an ambient noise threshold with respect to one ormore criteria from a group comprising a date, a time of day and alocation of the respective user station in a gaming area.
 18. The systemof claim 17, wherein for each of the user stations, the programinstructions are further executable to direct the performance of:extracting one or more user station-specific sound signatures from thereceived audio data, directing one or more of the sound emitting devicesto emit sound waves effective to locally amplify sounds associated withthe extracted user station-specific sound signatures, and directing oneor more of the sound emitting devices to emit sound waves effective tolocally amplify sounds associated with extracted session-specific soundsignatures.
 19. The system of claim 14, the server effective to directparticular exception sound signatures for each of the one or more userstations associated with individual zones.
 20. The system of claim 14,the server effective to direct user stations in a particular zone tofurther direct the emission of sound waves effective to locally amplifythe exception sound signatures associated with user stations outside ofthe respective zone.